Beginning investors can start with these 5 basic ETFs

ETFs to Buy: Vanguard Total International Stock Market (VXUS)

Vanguard Total International Stock Market (VXUS) is the global peer to Vanguard’s domestic ETF.

The ETF is geared to track the performance of the FTSE Global All Cap ex-US Index. Because you are already covered with domestic equities, this gives you exposure to the rest of the world.

Geographically, it is led by 16% exposure to the UK, 15.6% to Japan and 7.1% in Canada, but it also has emerging-market exposure, representing almost 17% of the VXUS’s holdings. As with small- and midcaps in the domestic portfolio, the expectation with VXUS is that emerging markets will provide better returns than the developed nations. However, those bigger, more sturdy companies — such as Nestle (NSRGY) and Roche (RHHBY) — help power a 2.85% dividend.

VXUS’s expense ratio is also very low for the exposure it provides, at just 0.16%.